Home > Out of the Cage! > April 2005 > New York Breed Rescue Network (NYBRN): Italian Greyhound Rescue NYC: Providing Special Care for a Special Breed

New York Breed Rescue Network (NYBRN)

Italian Greyhound Rescue NYC – Providing Special Care for a Special Breed

For years, Lee Ann Jaffee has been enamored of the Greyhound breeds – big Greyhounds, Italian Greyhounds, and Whippets. Attracted by their graceful movements and gentle personalities, she brought an Italian Greyhound into her family in 1987 and later rescued a big Greyhound (the racing variety) in 1991. When the big Greyhound developed bone cancer, a fairly common occurrence in long-legged breeds, the experience triggered Lee Ann to become actively involved in rescue. She worked on her own, collaborated with the NJ chapter of Italian Greyhound Rescue, and finally, in 1999, founded Italian Greyhound Rescue NYC (IGRNYC).

Today, Lee Ann, her husband Bill Mandell, and eight volunteers manage Italian Greyhound rescue in New York City, New Jersey, and eastern Pennsylvania. They work closely with the organization's Long Island representative, Rita Liberato, Pam Thomas in NYC, and her husband in Connecticut. They also work with, and refer many adopters to, the National Greyhound Adoption Program in Philadelphia.

Although the group focuses primarily on Italian Greyhounds, it also takes in big Greyhounds and Whippets. The breeds share similarities, but also exhibit distinctive differences. Lee Ann describes Italian Greyhounds as sweet, loving, gentle dogs, rarely exhibiting any human aggression problems. They typically are good city dogs. But despite their gentle demeanor, there's a downside. "Italian Greyhounds are extremely delicate, " explains Lee Ann, "and their legs break easily." Typically carrying a $3,000 price tag to surgically repair a broken leg, the possibility of such an occurrence can scare off many adopters.

Potential adopters also need to understand that Italian Greyhounds are high maintenance companions: they demand a great deal of attention, they don't like to be left alone, and they're extremely difficult to housebreak. Lee Ann says that the big Greyhounds, despite their size, are easier, lower maintenance and not physically as fragile as Italian Greyhounds. Whippets, on the other hand, are higher energy, and more active, requiring more space — ideally a fenced-in yard.

Italian Greyhound Rescue NYC places roughly 35 dogs into adoptive homes each year. All of the dogs awaiting adoption are in foster care with the group's volunteers. More than half of the dogs taken in by IGRNYC are owner surrenders, and most of the rest come from shelters in New Jersey and Philadelphia, and NYC Animal Care & Control.

Most of the group's adopters come to them via the web site of the Italian Greyhound Club of America, www.italiangreyhound.org. The national organization takes rescue seriously, and provides plenty of information and resources for potential adopters on its site. In fact, the national organization helps pay medical bills incurred by local chapters around the country.

Who is the ideal Italian Greyhound adopter? According to Lee Ann, the ideal home is one where there are no small children, and a family member is home much of the time. Italian Greyhounds do not like to be left alone; they prefer to be with people, or with other canine companions when their people are not around. Someone must be available to walk the dogs on leash, unless there is access to a fenced yard. (An Italian Greyhound will bolt if he or she sees a squirrel.) While the size of an apartment or house doesn't really matter, carpeting is not recommended, as there likely will be the occasional "accident." And because of the risk of a broken leg from jumping onto furniture and the like (Italian Greyhounds are athletic, and don't have a great sense of their limitations), a prospective adopter should be prepared to cover the cost of orthopedic surgery if it is required.

But despite the special considerations required for adopting an Italian Greyhound, they are wonderful companions, according to Lee Ann. And she should know — her family includes two Italian Greyhounds, two big Greyhounds, and two Whippets, including The Dude, a 16-year-old blind Italian Greyhound. Every year on Columbus Day weekend they all make the pilgrimage to attend "Greyhounds Reach the Beach," a gathering of greyhounds of all types and their people at Dewey Beach, Delaware, which, says Lee Ann, is "a sight to behold."

If you'd like to learn more about IGRNYC, or are interested in volunteering, especially as a foster family, please visit www.italiangreyhound.org, or e-mail Lee Ann at cityiggies@earthlink.net.

The New York Breed Rescue Network (NYBRN) is a sub-coalition of groups within the Mayor's Alliance who have chosen to concentrate on the placement of purebred (or nearly pure) dogs and cats. These groups view puppy mills, pet shops, and irresponsible breeders as the problem, and believe that by combining efforts toward a common goal, they will make a real difference. For a list of NYBRN member groups and links to their web sites, click here.